Listen to this articleDear 3 minutesThe audio version of this article is generated using AI-based technology. Pronunciation errors may occur. We are working with our partners to continually review and improve results. Russia’s oil exports via its Northern Sea Route (NSR) in 2026 have already surpassed last year’s by almost 50 percent, with some 20 million barrels shipped to Asia from the start of sailing in July to mid-October, traders said, and data showed. The NSR connects Russia’s western ports to Asian markets through frozen Arctic waters and is considered a more dangerous and expensive route. This year, however, it became more attractive as a result of route disruptions in the Suez Canal, the Strait of Hormuz and the Black Sea area, traders said. Tanker rates have soared to record levels as wars with Iran and Ukraine have stoked inflation and put U.S. crude oil out of reach for Asian refiners, forcing them to look for alternatives in the Middle East and Latin America. According to traders, the NSR, which requires the help of an icebreaker, is less expensive than the usual route to Asia via the Red Sea. For Russia, which controls the NSR, it represents a safe alternative to European waters, where tankers carrying their oil have been regularly detained this year. Preparing for Arctic upheaval: Why North America is preparing for an Arctic battle | About itThe Arctic is rapidly emerging as a geopolitical hotspot as melting ice opens up new shipping routes. Andrew Chang discusses North America’s changing Arctic defense strategy as competition with Russia and China intensifies, and the implications for the region’s future. Russia shipped 13 million barrels during the last shipping season. Gazprom Neft, one of Russia’s major oil companies, will increase its shipments through the NSR by about 35 percent this year compared to 2025, its CEO Alexander Dyukov told reporters on Friday in Moscow. Russia also supplies significant volumes of liquefied natural gas (LNG) to Asia via the NSR, as well as other goods. LNG supply through the NSR is also expected to increase this year following the launch of LNG shipments to the Arctic. President Vladimir Putin told an economic forum in Vladivostok in September that Russia expects cargo turnover through the NSR to double to 70 million tons annually by the end of the decade. Rosneft’s giant new oil project in northern Russia, Vostok Oil, inaugurated last month, is already contributing to growing volumes using the NSR.
